DTT Surveillance to hire 100

LOS ANGELES— DTT Surveillance, a manufacturer and integrator of video surveillance solutions that underwent a major expansion last year, is in the process of hiring 100 new employees.

“We've already hired 18 to 20 people who will start on Sept. 8. Most of the [new hires and future hires] will be outside sales people who will be based around the country,” DTT CEO Sam Naficy told Security Systems News.  

Many of those sales people will be dedicated to DTT's larger QSR chain customers. “Someone with three to four QSRs can be dealt with by inside sales people who work remotely, but once you get a customer with 50 to 100 QSRs, you need a much more experienced sales person that can be in front of the customer,” Naficy said.

The sales people will “reinforce and add fuel to the fire” in that segment of the business, where Naficy says the company has “carved out a nice niche” and has a “limited competitive landscape.”

DTT, which has $2.4 million in RMR right now, has experienced very rapid growth over the past several years. It's still-impressive growth this year does lag behind previous years. “As the bucket gets bigger, it's hard to keep up the 50 percent growth,” Naficy said.

“Our CAGR over the past seven years has been about 42 percent, this year it will be about 25 to 28 percent and we should close the year with $2.7 [million] or $2.8 million in RMR,” he said.

Naficy credits DTT's growth to the stickiness of the services it offers. “The churn rate in the alarm space is in the 11- to 13-percent range, and for video providers that number is higher. We are below 4 percent churn,” Naficy said. “That's a telltale sign. When we get customers they usually don't go away.”

DTT's services include POS, inventory control, employee management and background checks. Last year it introduced “Scream” which will allow DTT QSR customers to be in touch with their customers via text message. The restaurant patron can send the restaurant “compliments or complaints,” and the restaurant can respond immediately with apologies, thanks and special offers.

DTT will be launching more “creative services” in the next quarter, Naficy said.